Brooklyn City Council on Thursday named Andy Celcherts to an open seat. The selection was made hours before the responsibility would have shifted to Mayor Richard Balbier, per the city charter. Mark Holan, Special to cleveland.com

BROOKLYN, Ohio – City Council on Thursday appointed lifelong resident Andy Celcherts to an empty seat just hours before the responsibility would have shifted to Mayor Richard Balbier.

The vacancy was created in November when now-Council President Katie Gallagher successfully switched seats midway through her first term in anticipation of a potential mayoral run in 2015.

Celcherts was one of three finalists council picked from the pool of 9 applicants interviewed Jan. 9. An emergency meeting was called for early Thursday afternoon, which marked the 30-day deadline to make the appointment, after council failed to come to a consensus earlier in the week.

Had council not named someone to the seat by the deadline, the city charter states the decision would have been transferred to Balbier.

“This definitely keeps the balance of power the way it should be,” Council President Pro Tem Ron Van Kirk, who led the selection process, said.

Gallagher said she voluntarily did not participate in discussions and abstained from voting on her replacement.

A 1973 graduate of Brooklyn High School, Celcherts retired in 2008 after a 30-year career with the Ohio Department of Taxation. He staged an unsuccessful bid for a place on the at-large council in November.

Celcherts said Thursday property maintenance enforcement is crucial to maintaining the city’s housing stock, which will play an integral part in Brooklyn's long-term viability.

“You have to make a stand somewhere, and the housing stock’s important. And it’s not fair to the people that do keep up their property,” he said.

Van Kirk called Celcherts an “idea guy” who’s not “loud and flashy,” and touted his experience with the tax department as an asset for the city.

“He knows the ins and outs of government,” Van Kirk said. “I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Celcherts also serves on the board of directors for the Latvian Cleveland Credit Union and the United Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cleveland.

The other finalists for the seat were independent business consultant Deborah Tomusko and Paul Foradora, owner of a Brooklyn-based contracting business.

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